Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at [email protected].
• Well, at least Professor Xavier and Magneto agree on the Canadiens [Getty]
• The Blues will go with rookie Jake Allen in goal for the start of the playoffs. Jakey, Jakey, don’t make … a big mistakey as they sort of say in “Not Another Teen Movie.” [BND.com]
• Eddie Lack will start Game 1 of Vancouver’s series against Calgary. No big surprise, but how will this play out with Ryan Miller as his backup? [Globe and Mail]
• Wait, do the Pittsburgh Penguins have the best formula for Stanley Cup playoff success? Even after it took them until the final day of the regular season to make the playoffs? Apparently so per this formula, but as it notes, losing Kris Letang and playing Paul Martin a ton will take its toll against the Rangers. [CBS Sports]
• How predict the Stanley Cup playoffs via puck possession. Again, Pittsburgh may not be in as bad shape as many think, but not having Kris Letang will hurt. [TSN]
• It’s the year of the backup goalie. And some may actually play pretty big roles with their teams in the playoffs. [Bleacher Report]
• Antoine Vermette will be a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks for Game 1 against the Nashville Predators. [CBS Sports]
• Henrik Zetterberg’s bond with a young Red Wings fan. A great read about the Red Wings captain from our own Eric Adelson. [Yahoo]
• How did the Flames overcome not so great advanced stat numbers to make the playoffs? [Calgary Herald]
• Meet Nashville’s kryptonite when it comes to keeping Blackhawks fans out of Bridgestone Arena. It’s called StubHub. [DNA Info]
• A Calgary/Vancouver playoff preview from a video and musical perspective! [Pass it to Bulis]
• Winnipeg’s Drew Stafford re-invented himself, and is one of Winnipeg’s most dangerous offensive players. [The Hockey News]
• Jon Cooper’s journey to playoff favorite as a coach has gone all over the place, even Texarkana, Texas for three years. [NHL]
• How do Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov blend together off the ice for the Lightning? We know the young forwards are pretty good on the ice. [Tampa Bay Times]
• The Islanders are a good bet to beat the Capitals. Why? They’re better at the possession game, and goaltending. [Fourth Period]
• Where will the Moncton Wildcats play if they force a Game 5 in their playoffs? Umm, building availability anyone? [Buzzing the Net]
• Players to target, and players to avoid in your Eastern Conference playoff pool. [Dobber Hockey]
• Was Jack Eichel’s freshman year with Boston University better than Paul Kariya’s with Maine in the early 90s? Eichel didn’t hit 100 points like Kariya, but that was a different era. [College Hockey News]
• Why was Ted Nolan fired by Buffalo? Well, at very least he did help Buffalo’s relationship with Latvia. [Trending Buffalo]
• Coyotes CEO Anthony LeBlanc says the team will be “relatively active” in the free agency and trade market. Whatever that means. They’re just waiting for the lottery. [Fox Sports Arizona]
• An inside look at the NWHL launch party. “Angela Ruggiero, Erika Lawler, and Dani Rylan were all on the docket–Rylan as commissioner, Lawler as the NWHL Players’ Association’s player representative, and Ruggiero as strategic advisor. All spoke about how excited they were to create a new and sustainable business model.” [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
• Have the Oilers really improved with Craig MacTavish as the general manager? A player-by-player look at MacT’s guys against the players he inherited from Steve Tambellini. [Oilers Nation]
• Flyers coach Craig Berube had no clue how to use Sean Couturier. [Broad Street Hockey]
• Expectations are high for youngsters Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau in New Jersey. Even if they’ve only played 58 games total. [The Hockey Writers]
• Kyle Clifford still believes in the Kings moving forward. An all-encompassing q&a with the LA forward. [Mayors’ Manor]
• Finally, Tyler Ennis’ goal was Steve Levy’s NHL play of the year on SportsCenter, not to be confused with SportsCentre.
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